Chapter 148: You Can’t Like a Man for His Looks Alone

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: You Can’t Like a Man for His Looks Alone

It was fortunate that Lu Tingting had escaped, but her near-abduction also served as a stark warning to the other military families.

That evening, the base’s propaganda department gathered all the family members, including the elderly and children, for a special meeting.

The meeting focused on Lu Tingting’s harrowing experience to raise everyone’s awareness about abduction and fraud.

...

The next morning, Jiang Moli woke up naturally, just as she always did.

After getting out of bed, she first picked up the lunch box on the dining table to see what was for breakfast, then grabbed her washbasin, toothbrush, and cup to go wash up in the communal restroom.

She had only taken a few steps out the door when she ran into Shen Yanzhi, who was about to head out.

He was wearing the same white shirt as yesterday, its hem tucked into his dark blue trousers, accentuating his narrow waist and long legs. He was impossibly elegant and pleasing to the eye.

’Getting to see a handsome man first thing in the morning,’ Jiang Moli’s mood was quite *nice*.

"Teacher Shen, good morning~"

Shen Yanzhi adjusted his glasses and gave her a warm smile. "Good morning, Comrade Jiang. Are you... just getting up?"

"Ah, well, I don’t create any value by waking up early, so I figure it’s better to sleep in. That way, I eat less and save on food. A penny saved is a penny earned, right? So, by sleeping late, I’m technically making money~"

Shen Yanzhi was amused by her logic. "That makes sense."

He was already handsome, but his smile was especially gentle and charming.

Even though Jiang Moli’s standards had been raised sky-high by a top-tier handsome man like Lu Cheng, she still found herself a little flustered by the sight.

’Forget it, I should get out of here.’

"Well, Teacher Shen, I’ll let you get going. A boy’s gotta remember to protect himself when he’s out and about, you know."

Shen Yanzhi chuckled again and nodded. "Okay."

He watched her enter the restroom before adjusting his glasses again and heading downstairs to leave.

...

After washing up and eating breakfast, Jiang Moli put on her straw hat and went out.

She had originally planned to drop by Lu Tingting’s place to kill some time.

She’d been here for days and still had no idea what Lu Tingting’s living situation was like.

Not far from the guesthouse, she came across a few military family members gathered together, chatting idly.

Jiang Moli, of course, would never pass up an opportunity to eavesdrop on some gossip.

The family members were talking about Lu Tingting’s near-abduction yesterday. The topic then drifted to nearby villages and even their hometowns, where daughters and children had gone missing.

They were all mothers, and when discussing such things, every one of them gritted their teeth, wishing they could tear those traffickers to shreds.

After hearing the gossip, Jiang Moli decided against going to Lu Tingting’s and instead turned around and headed back to the guesthouse.

...

At noon, Lu Cheng came in, carrying a lunch box.

Seeing her sitting upright at the dining table, writing seriously, he couldn’t help but ask, "What are you writing? A letter home?"

As he spoke, he set down the lunch box, walked to her side, and bent over to see what she was writing.

Jiang Moli subconsciously covered the paper with her hand.

Lu Cheng turned to look at her, clearly displeased. "You can’t let me see?"

As a husband, he never kept anything from Jiang Moli, and he hoped that she, as his wife, would be just as open with him.

Jiang Moli grumbled, "My handwriting is ugly."

When he heard that was the reason, Lu Cheng laughed. "Let me see just how ugly it is."

Jiang Moli moved her hand, revealing the writing on the paper.

Lu Cheng had only intended to glance at her handwriting, but he was drawn in by the content. He picked up the notebook and began to read it carefully, word by word.

After a long moment, he looked at Jiang Moli in surprise. "Did you write all this yourself?"

"Who else?"

Intrigued, Lu Cheng leaned against the edge of the table. "What do you plan to do with this?"

"I have my own uses for it. Don’t worry about it so much."

Seeing that she was deliberately being mysterious, Lu Cheng suppressed his curiosity and handed the notebook back to her.

It was enough to know what his wife was up to. As for her personal thoughts and plans, he would respect them.

The two of them sat down to eat lunch and discuss their plans for the afternoon.

"I have to go into town this afternoon. An old teacher from the city donated a few boxes of old books and an old piano to our school. I’m taking some men to go pick them up."

"Is that really something a battalion commander like you needs to handle personally?"

Lu Cheng explained, "There’s another mission. Smuggling has been rampant lately, and traffickers have snuck into town. The Public Security Bureau is planning a joint operation with the military to conduct a major sweep. I’m going to town this afternoon for a preliminary meeting with them."

Jiang Moli nodded.

Lu Cheng looked at her, his dark eyes filled with apology. "We don’t know exactly what day the mission will start, but it’s been confirmed that I’ll be leading the team. I’ve already spoken with Commander Zhong. While I’m gone, you can go to Sister Wenjuan’s place for meals."

He paused, then added, "I’ll try my best to find time to come back and see you."

"Okay."

After lunch, Lu Cheng set off.

Jiang Moli napped until 4 p.m.

She finished the manuscript she had started that morning, then put on her straw hat and went out.

The base’s school was built on the west side of the family residential area.

Compared to the beautiful, Eden Garden-like campuses of later generations, the new school was so simple it could be described as shabby.

A two-story wooden building served as the classrooms. In front of it was an empty plot of land with a ten-meter wooden pole standing in the middle—that was the school’s playground.

Lu Tingting’s dormitory was behind the school, a separate wooden cabin.

Jiang Qing opened the door. Her expression darkened slightly upon seeing Jiang Moli, but she didn’t say anything.

Lu Tingting was still asleep in bed.

Hearing the noise, she turned her head, and upon seeing Jiang Moli, she shot up in bed.

"What are you doing here?"

Jiang Moli walked in with her hands behind her back. "Just came to see what kind of trouble you get up to normally."

The dorm room was about forty square meters. There was a bed against each of the side walls, a small desk at the foot of each bed, and a square dining table in the middle. Other than that, there was no other furniture.

It was also far too simple.

Jiang Qing was a tidy person. She had nailed a row of wooden shelves to the wall for hanging clothes, bags, and other things, and her bed was neatly made.

Lu Tingting’s bed, on the other hand, was as messy as a kennel. Her clothes were piled up at the foot of the bed, and she didn’t even have a duvet cover, sleeping directly under a thin cotton quilt.

After a quick survey of the room, Jiang Moli gestured for Lu Tingting to come outside and talk.

"What do you want?"

Jiang Moli grinned. "Hey, I did some digging for you. Teacher Shen isn’t married and doesn’t have a girlfriend. You still have a chance."

Lu Tingting’s face instantly flushed beet red, and she snapped in embarrassment, "Who asked you to look into that for me?"

"I have an opportunity for you to shine in front of Teacher Shen. Want it? I’ll count to three. Three!"

She immediately turned to leave.

Lu Tingting froze for a second, then grabbed her. "Didn’t you say you’d count to three? You just skipped straight to three! Who counts like that?"

Jiang Moli gave her a teasing look. "Look how anxious you are. Hey, let me tell you something. When you like a man, you can’t just look at his appearance; you have to take a look at your own, too."

Lu Tingting’s eyes flew wide with anger. "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m ugly?"

Jiang Moli looked her up and down. "You’re... acceptable. You have all your limbs, at least."

Lu Tingting flew into a rage. "So what if I’m not beautiful? How do you know he won’t fall for me, just like how my blind-as-a-bat Third Uncle fell for you?"

Jiang Moli: "..."

She was actually speechless.

She gave Lu Tingting a thumbs-up. "Not bad. You’re making progress. You even know how to use deductive reasoning now."

Lu Tingting lifted her chin smugly.

Inside the dorm, Jiang Qing watched the two of them talking through the window lattice, her mind filled with suspicion.